Inspectors sent in to protect mothers and babies at scandal-hit Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals

Health watchdogs have been sent into a scandal-hit hospital trust where dozens of deaths are being investigated in order to protect mothers and babies.

The Care Quality Commission said it was taking “urgent action to protect people” at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust after a snap inspection found that doctors were failing to spot worrying symptoms on baby scans.

They also highlighted concerns with the ability of staff to notice signs of potentially deadly sepsis in the trust’s emergency department.

The watchdog’s action follows weeks after it emerged more than 100 cases of alleged poor care are being reviewed after dozens of families came forward worried that their babies may have been killed or seriously injured in the “toxic” maternity unit accused of being obsessed with natural birth.

The number of cases to be considered by an independent review has risen to 104, the Health Service Journal (HSJ) reported in September.

The CQC has now placed restrictions on the trust’s legal right to offer, meaning managers have to report weekly detailing what they are doing to improve patient care.

They apply to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Inspectors were particularly concerned that maternity staff were failing to escalate concerns when foetuses appeared abnormally still during scans.

Professor Ted Baker, CQC's chief inspector of hospitals, said: "We remain very concerned about the emergency department and maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust as a result of our inspections.

"This is why we have imposed urgent conditions on the trust's registration to safeguard patients.

"We are monitoring the trust extremely closely and continue to work with NHS Improvement to ensure patient safety improves. We will return to check on whether sufficient improvements have been made and will take further action if needed."

Full findings of the CQC's inspection will be published shortly, the organisation said.

Parents have previously said they were pressured into natural births in midwife-supervised units, claiming that a caesarean or forceps-assisted deliveries would have prevented brain damage.

Concerns about the Shrewsbury and Telford maternity unit began being raised following the 2009 death of Kate Stanton-Davies.

A report found she had died “avoidably” after two midwives failed to realise her birth was high risk and ignored her parents’ concerns.

Dr Edwin Borman, medical director at the trust, said: "We take the safety of our patients and their care very seriously. We are addressing all the areas raised by the CQC.